


To be free

by scalira



Series: I love you like the seasons love each other [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 15:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8333260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scalira/pseuds/scalira
Summary: Magnus never thought he would have this – a plain date, perfect in its simplicity. Nothing about them is complicated. Magnus loves Alec and Alec loves Magnus and sometimes it’s just that easy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is like only my second time writing Malec as a main pairing and let me just tell you I do NOT like writing them (don't get me wrong, I adore them. I just don't like writing them) but I had to for the sake of this series. So please be nice to me (also Malec is summer thank you for listening)

Magnus has always been a free spirit. Growing up in foster care kind of forced him to be; you can’t grow attached or adapt too slowly in the system. You have to be quick on your feet, inventive, easily adapt to new surroundings and always be ready to move to different places.

Sometimes he thinks foster care broke him. Sometimes, when his skin starts itching and his anxiety bubbles in the pit of his stomach, he thinks it ruined him. Because it didn’t just teach him to be ready to move to different places – it made him dependent on it. He can’t stay anywhere too long without feeling sick and paranoid, like something bad is going to happen. So he moves from town to town, from city to city, state to state. He lands minimum wage jobs in retail or small bistros. He crashes with friends or rents an apartment for a few months before fleeing. It feels like he’s running, but he doesn’t know if he’s running towards something or away from something.

All of his doubts fade when he meets Alexander Lightwood.

Magnus is a barista in a local coffee shop at the time. He isn’t very good at it, but the owners are understaffed and desperate. The shop is near a college campus, which means it’s packed with college students almost every day.

Honestly, Magnus doesn’t pay much attention to any of them. They come to the counter, order a ridiculous beverage that doesn’t even come close to coffee, hand him the money and get out. He barely even looks at their faces as they go.

But then Alec walks into the shop.

Magnus notices him immediately. It’s a coincidence, really. Magnus was letting his gaze drift over de shop in between orders, and his eyes landed on the door right when a tall boy walked in.

He’s wearing a fluffy scarf and the tip of his nose is bright red. Magnus thinks he’s adorable.

They boy orders a plain, black coffee and tells him his name is Alec. The name curls around Magnus’ wrist, his bicep, his throat. _Alec_.

Alec’s hands are cold when he takes his coffee from Magnus. He smiles up apologetically, gives Magnus too much money and tells him to keep the change.

Magnus wants to thank him, but Alec has already pushed his way back outside.

*

Alec drops by almost every day after that, and soon they start some counter banter between them. The banter turns into actual conversations, and then Magnus moves from behind the counter to actually sit down with Alec, and then he asks him on a date, and soon Magnus has spent his entire winter _and_ spring in New York, being with Alec almost every single day. It’s the longest Magnus has stayed everywhere since his days as a foster kid.

But his skin starts crawling again when summer approaches. When Alec is busy with finals and Magnus is often alone. When there isn’t anyone to hold during the night. He catches himself planning his next escape, wondering where he’ll go and how he’ll get the money. Maybe he’ll do a nice roadtrip to god knows where.

He’s on the verge of leaving, has already written Alec a note saying goodbye, when Alec says them. Those simple three words that Magnus hasn’t heard anyone say to him in his entire life.

“I love you.”

And he still wants to run. Still wants to gather all his stuff and go.

But he’s taking Alec with him. And when summer ends, they will return to build a life here.

Together.

*

“Magnus, there’s a _speed limit_ here,” Alec says, clutching at the dashboard as if they’re in a road race.

“Relax,” Magnus chirps, “we’re barely even hitting it. You’re being overdramatic.”

“I literally just graduated from law school _last week_ , Mags. I can’t exactly go break laws now.”

Magnus looks at Alec sitting next to him, a smug grin on his face.

“Too bad,” he says. “Because that’s _exactly_ what we’ll be doing.”

*

Magnus has done some petty theft in his life. He’s stolen some food before, and maybe some cash too. He has trespassed a few times, looking for a place to sleep. Nothing too big. Nothing that could really get him in trouble. He isn’t really an expert on breaking laws, but he also isn’t foreign to the concept.

It’s not like he planned this trip to show Alec the wonders of lawbreaking. He didn’t sit down and map out their route, crossing out all possible places they could break a law. But he wants to show Alec a bit of his life, of what it feels like to be absolutely and totally free. And freedom comes with a price, much like everything in life does. To be free, you must be willing to take risks. To steal something, to run from cops, to be willing to fight. It’s all part of the deal.

It’s a searing hot summer night when Magnus gets the genius idea to break into a public pool. They’re sweating their skin off in Alec’s small car, especially because the AC doesn’t work, and they could both use some refreshment.

“Magnus, this is trespassing,” Alec whispers, voice still too loud in the quiet night air. “We could get arrested for this!”

“Oh, live a little, Alexander,” Magnus says. He climbs the fence like he was born to do so and helps Alec up too.

“We didn’t even bring swimming gear.”

“Who says we need them?” Magnus winks. He quickly gets out of his shirt and throws it at Alec’s face, who snatches it away and glares at his boyfriend. Magnus ignores him as he also unbuttons his pants and pulls them down with his underwear.

“Come on, darling. I’m waiting,” he urges when Alec doesn’t move to take his clothes off too. Alec seems to contemplate all his life choices in that very moment, but eventually just sighs and undresses too.

They hold hands as they jump in the pool, and Magnus spits some water into Alec’s face once they resurface. Alec splashes at him and swims away, but Magnus immediately follows him and grabs him by the ankle.

Their teasing turns into a full blown water fight, with splashing and pulling each other under and jumping on shoulders. Magnus can’t remember the last time he laughed this loud.

“We’re gonna be in so much trouble if we get caught,” Alec points out. Magnus swims towards him and wraps his arms around his neck.

“We’re not gonna get caught,” he says confidently.

“Yeah? And how do you know that?”

“Because I’m an expert at this,” Magnus grins.

“Oh, so you’re saying my boyfriend is a criminal?”

Magnus laughs. “That would be ironic, wouldn’t it? The lawyer and the criminal.”

Alec chuckles and wraps his arms around Magnus’ waist, pecking him on the lips.

“You have to admit this is pretty cool, right?” Magnus says.

Alec presses their foreheads together and smiles.

“Right,” he says.

*

You would think a guy like Magnus Bane wouldn’t have the money to take his boyfriend to a fancy restaurant. He never had the opportunity to save up and none of his jobs ever paid enough to have some extra cash.

So. Magnus actually _doesn’t_ have the money to take his boyfriend to a fancy restaurant.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take him anyway.

They have a lovely time together. They hold hands across the table and share food and talk about the most ridiculous stuff. Magnus never thought he would have this – a plain date, perfect in its simplicity. Nothing about them is complicated. Magnus loves Alec and Alec loves Magnus and sometimes it’s just that easy.

Alec doesn’t make Magnus want to run. Alec makes him want to _stay_. Or to _follow_. Wherever Alec goes, Magnus wants to go with him.

When the time comes to pay the check, Magnus gets a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Okay,” he says, detaching his hand from Alec’s and scanning the restaurant. “Our waiter isn’t looking, so here’s the plan: you’ll pretend to go have a cigarette outside. I’ll stay here for a minute and then get up to go to the restroom. We’ll meet back in the car.”

Alec’s eyes turn huge.

“Magnus,” he whispers sharply, “you are _not_ suggesting we dine and dash!”

“Oh, but I am,” Magnus grins.

“But that’s _illegal_!”

“We’ll be gone before they even realize! I checked out the restroom earlier. It has big enough windows for me to crawl out of. It’s gonna run smoothly, just trust me.”

“Magnus, I _swear_ if we get busted – ”

“We won’t, I swear.”

Alec looks him up and down and then pushes himself out of his chair with a sigh. He leans forward to press a quick kiss to his lips and mutters: “It’s a good thing I love you.” Before making his way to the exit. He pretends to be looking for his cigarettes in the pocket of his jacket and even asks someone if they have a lighter he can borrow to make the act more convincing.

Magnus waits exactly a minute before standing up too. He makes a whole scene out of leaving his phone on the table for everyone to see (it broke a few days ago and he’d only been carrying it around for this exact purpose) and then asks a waiter where the restroom is.

There’s nobody in the men’s restroom when he enters. He quickly makes his way to the window, opens it and squeezes out of it.

Magnus dashes for Alec’s car, which is parked behind the restaurant. Alec is already sitting in it, nervously biting his nails. He exhales deeply when Magnus gets in too.

“Go, go, go!” Magnus urges, laughter bubbling in his stomach. Alec hits the gas, a close to hysteric giggle escaping his lips as he speeds out of the parking lot and onto the road.

“That was ridiculous!” He cheers once they’re on the road. “I thought I was gonna get caught when I walked around the building not smoking a cigarette! And I totally stole a lighter from a poor man back in the restaurant.”

“I think he’ll live,” Magnus grins.

“I can’t believe I just did that. I cannot believe I just did that!” Alec allows himself to glance at Magnus for a second before focusing back on the road. “You truly are something else, Magnus Bane.”

Magnus’ grin turns into a soft smile.

“You too, Alexander. You too.”


End file.
